Malaysia auxiliary police are integrating a facial recognition surveillance technology used in China

Malaysia auxiliary police are integrating a facial recognition surveillance technology used in China

The facial recognition technology is built by YITU, a company that is used in tourist locations and ports in China

Malaysia’s auxiliary police force, which usually refers to part-time or reserve cops, are integrating a body camera that includes a powerful facial-recognition technology built by China’s YITU Technology.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, YITU can flip through a database of 1.8 billion people and identify a single person within three seconds. The reported accuracy rate is 95 per cent.

Currently, the technology will be used to review on-body camera footage and identify a person after an incident. The police force has been using the technology since February.

Dato’ Rosmadi Bin Ghazali, the CEO of Auxiliary Force Sdn. Bhd., said they plan on expanding the use of technology to include real-time alerts if someone of interest is in the general area.

“This is a significant step forward for us as we leverage artificial intelligence to increase public safety and security. Looking ahead, AFSB also intends to expand the capabilities of our body-worn camera system to include real-time facial recognition and instant alerts to the presence of persons of interest from criminal watchlists,” he said.

In January, YITU opened an office in Singapore with the intention of expanding its presence in Southeast Asia. Other partners/customers listed on the company’s website include Changi Airport and two security companies called Chubb Technologies and Certis.

YITU also has ambitions to expand into Hong Kong/Macau and the Oceania region.

In China, YITU’s technology has been rolled-out in tourist areas and ports — areas deemed to have higher security risks than most places.

China has gathered a lot of attention recently for its facial recognition technology as it has become a focus of government policy. Recently, stories such as the man who was identified by police amongst a crowd of 60,000 people have become commonplace.